PFDarkside

What if I need new rear rotors, but all I do is replace the pads for a few days until the rear rotors arrive? Will I damage the pads in any way? (Rears are beginning to make noise, but all the local autoparts store has are the Aimco fronts, the rears will take three days...)

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

If the rear rotors are trashed anyway, wait the 3 days.

VIP1

You shouldnt mix and match used pads and rotors. If you put new pads on old rotors and then change the rotors but leave the now used pads, the pads wont make proper contact with the rotor. This may even increase rotor wear in addition to decreasing brake performance. This may also affect the break-in/burnishing of the (now used) pads to the new rotors. On the filp-side putting new pads on old rotors is Ok as long as the rotor surface fairly smooth and it isnt warped/craked/etc.

PFDarkside

OK, cool. At what point can you actually cause damage to more than just the expendibles? (Caliper pistons, etc.)

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

You will have to work very hard to damage anything more than the pads or rotors. Your wear/damage would pretty much be limited to those wear items.

I did just do a brake job where the front pad and backing plate wore though (the pad and the plate were both completely gone, there was a small chunk of the anti squeak shim left, welded to the piston) and the piston hit the rotor before poping out of the caliper (and the pedal hitting the floor), that is when you can damage things other than the pads/rotors. And no, this was not an F-body, it was my friends daughters Kia.

VIP1

Yup.

Damn. How did she let it go that long??? That must have sounded horrible and stopped crapily. I always replace my pads before they get down to the backing plate.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

She claimed it had pads put on it 6 months before. By the level of rust on the remaining parts, I'd say they were original. She was just oblivious. She had no clue that the brakes were not working correctly??? The slider pins froze, the outer pads quit wearing and the inner pad was then destroyed. I've never seen one that bad before. But, the intake also had 3 bolts missing out of it, so I don't think it ran much better than it stopped. Scary....

VIP1

Wildman

Not only scary for her, imagine being the person in front of her before her brakes failed. /shivers
I can never emphasize enough to my family, the 2 MOST important things about your car is the brakes and the tires. Miss an oil change to fix the brakes or replace the tire if you have to.